Ambriel's Quest: Book 2 Read online

  “I love you, too,” she whispered back.

  “I’ll give you two days, and then I’m coming after you. When we get back, we’re having the mating ceremony. I can’t live without you, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

  When she threw her arms around his neck, he pulled her close and heard her whisper, “And you’re changing those stupid laws.” He couldn’t help but chuckle before the dream faded, and he heard his friend’s voice.

  “Mikal, Mikal… wake up.” Lukke was shaking his shoulders. When his eyes popped open, the relief was evident on Lukke’s face. “What happened? We were talking about getting Ambriel back and you just fell unconscious.”

  “How long was I out?” Mikal asked while righting himself in the chair. His pants were wet where he must have dropped his drink.

  “A half hour, maybe longer. I didn’t check the time.” Mikal grinned at his friend, and if possible, Lukke appeared even more concerned.

  “I spoke with Ambriel,” he admitted. He felt…relieved. The soul-deep ache had disappeared, and determination had taken root.

  “And?” Lukke prodded.

  “And…she found the key!” Mikal chuckled. “Risya was right all along.”

  “Did you ever doubt her?”

  Mikal just gave him a mock scowl. “It is still dangerous and we have much planning to do, my friend. Ambriel found a half-human, half-Santiarn girl who…” he repeated the entire story to Lukke. When he’d finished, Lukke jumped to his feet, excitement etched on his face.

  “Mikal, this is it!” He paced, letting his mind run through many different scenarios. Mikal had seen him do it a thousand times. It’s what made him an excellent second in command. “We have to ready the troops!” He looked to Mikal and finished, “The final battle is near.”

  “It is indeed, my friend. When I feel Ambriel in the Human realm, I will remain by her side and Keiana’s, until I know they’re safe. Once Ornias and his minions are locked in their realm, Ambriel will help me lead the battle. No more hiding in a human host.” Mikal’s eyes started to glow as he continued speaking. “The only ones who will be allowed near Ambriel and Keiana are our trusted circle. You, Avis, and Damien. This girl has the power to lock our realm, as well, and we do not need to make her an enemy of the Cusas.”

  “Why would she leave our realm unlocked?” Lukke asked, concern dripping from his voice.

  “Ambriel informed her that she lives here, and Keiana wants her to visit. Many here still do not accept my mate, and I will not have them around this girl. Now that I think about it, only the four of us, besides Ambriel, will know of her existence.”

  Lukke blew out a long breath and said, “This is it.”

  “It is, my friend. The final battle has already started in the Santiarn realm. Get some rest, for we start tomorrow.” When Lukke nodded, Mikal left the room, heading for his own.

  Chapter Eight

  Ambriel

  The Santiarn Realm

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Ambriel asked again for the tenth time that morning. After seeing Mikal the night before, she was more determined than ever. She’d even got some much needed albeit restless sleep, knowing that today would be eventful.

  “Yes, stop asking,” Keiana smiled.

  “You seem much braver today,” Ambriel said with suspicion in her voice as she eyed her friend warily. She had noticed that the timid girl who was afraid to show her face was now okay with facing danger. She’d agreed to it last night, but this morning her confidence had grown by leaps and bounds. This was not the same Keiana.

  “I am much braver. I cast a spell on myself so I wouldn’t back out.”

  “Oh, Keiana. You didn’t need to do that; we could’ve found another way.” Now Ambriel felt even worse for putting her friend in danger. If anything happened to her, Ambriel would never forgive herself.

  “No, this was the best way. If I can get her to help us, then things will go much smoother.” Keiana spoke with confidence, and Ambriel watched for any signs of doubt, but she found none.

  “Okay,” she said slowly, still feeling worried about the decision to let Keiana go alone. “Please be careful.” Ambriel gave her a hug and then sat down on the floor with crossed legs. All she could do was wait.

  As Keiana slipped out of the room, Ambriel opened her mind and listened. Not that she could hear much, but hopefully she’d know if her friend was in trouble.

  A few minutes later, she heard Keiana. There she is. I’ll wait until she’s a little closer before I approach her. Maybe I should let her spot me, spying like she sometimes does. Okay, here I go.

  Ambriel waited with bated breath, praying that everything went just right. This was it, the moment they would know if the unknown woman would help, or turn Keiana in.

  Oh, no! No, no, no!

  Ambriel’s eyes flew open as she sat ram-rod straight. What happened? Please, let Keiana be okay! All kinds of possibilities ran through her worried mind. Did the woman call for the authorities? Did Ornias find out that Keiana had helped her escape? How long did the protection spell work? She dug the protection necklace out of her front pocket and slipped it over her neck, as Mikal had asked her to do last night.

  Shew! That was close. Now where did the woman go?

  Ambriel blew out a relieved breath. Keiana sounded okay, at least for now. The waiting was painfully hard, and she wished there was something she could do to help Keiana. Guilt filled Ambriel once more as she thought of putting her new friend in danger. If we get through this, I’ll make sure she has a much better life than this existence.

  Where did he come from? I’ve got to hide! The words sounded rushed, almost panicked in Ambriel’s head. That was too close! Okay, now to find the woman. Ambriel worried that Keiana was taking unnecessary chances after using the spell to make her brave, more confident. There she is!

  As she patiently, painfully waited for Keiana to approach the woman, Ambriel dropped her head and closed her eyes. The only movement that could be seen was the slight movement in her chest as she took shallow breaths.

  I did it! I did it! That was the only thought Ambriel heard. What did you do, Keiana? Ambriel wondered. Did she ask the woman, and did she say yes?

  Ambriel jumped to her feet and paced in the little space Keiana’s room allowed. It didn’t take long for her to return. When the door cracked open, Ambriel almost bolted for the bathroom, worried someone had brought food. Keiana peeked around the door with a huge grin on her face. The relief Ambriel felt was instantaneous, and she smiled in return. That smile fell rapidly when the door opened a little wider, and she spotted the Santiarn female. The response was purely instinctive, self-preservation making her take a step backwards.

  “This is Dartha, and she’s agreed to help us,” Keiana supplied as they both entered the room. Ambriel felt crowded, caged in, with little space left to sit or stand. When her eyes bounced between the two, she noted Dartha’s intense stare—she wasn’t even trying to hide it. Occasionally, she would glance at Keiana, but immediately her eyes found Ambriel once more. “It’s okay, Ambriel,” Keiana said with a smile.

  “You are human,” Dartha addressed Ambriel.

  “Yes.” Ambriel answered as she inadvertently took Mikal’s commanding stance. Arms crossed, stern jaw set, a look of confidence on her skeptical face.

  “Keiana said she needed my help.” She pursed her lips over her wicked-looking teeth. “What do you need me to do?”

  “You’ll help us?” Ambriel needed to know. She would not disclose plans and have Dartha running to Ornias.

  “If it’s within my ability, then yes, I’ll help.”

  Ambriel remained skeptical. Did Dartha realize that Keiana planned to lock the Santiarn realm? Why would she help them?

  “Why?” She needed to know before disclosing any information.

  “Ambriel, she said she would help. Is that not enough?” Keiana asked with a worried tone.

  Ambriel glanced at her friend, who waited for an a
nswer, before looking back at Dartha. “I just want to hear her answer, Keiana. Simply curious,” she lied. It wasn’t enough. She needed to hear Dartha’s reason, and it had nothing to do with curiosity and more to do with trusting her motives.

  Dartha shrugged before finally speaking. “Before Ornias, we lived in peace. You may not believe it, but we had families that we loved. My son, Zok, was killed in the Human realm and I blame Ornias. Zok used to be happy, easy-going, and he loved me.” Ambriel could easily hear the sadness and anger in her voice.

  “Ornias demands that every male be trained for war when he comes of age. Zok didn’t want to go, but he didn’t have a choice. When he came back to visit, he’d changed. I could tell he was no longer happy, and as time went on, he became cruel, someone to be feared.” She looked to Keiana, and her face softened. “I knew the woman who cared for Keiana. When Ornias made her leave, she grieved for the little girl. She knew she would be locked away.” She smiled at Keiana before continuing, “That’s why I will help you.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Keiana asked.

  “The first few years, I never saw you. When I caught you spying, you were so scared of everything.” Dartha shook her head back and forth. “I tried to earn your trust by sneaking food to you.” She smiled sweetly at her. “I guess it worked—you asked for my help when you needed it.”

  Ambriel relaxed her shoulders and let her arms drop to her sides. It made sense, although she couldn’t imagine happy Santiarn families running around.

  “What do you need me to do?” Dartha finally asked.

  Here goes everything! “We need to get back to the Human realm. To do that, we need to leave the castle after stealing a transport crystal.”

  Dartha laughed, which startled Ambriel. Had she ever heard a Santiarn laugh before?

  “Ornias keeps all of the transport crystals under lock and key. He doesn’t trust anyone. Your best option is to steal one from a returning hunter.”

  “A hunter?” Ambriel questioned.

  “That’s what Ornias calls those he sends to the Human realm; everyone is either a hunter or soldier,” Dartha supplied.

  Ambriel nodded, acknowledging her explanation as scenarios ran through her head. How could they steal a transport crystal from a hunter? She’d been lucky in the Cusasleon realm; she’d found one lying around in the battle room.

  “I can get one,” Keiana offered.

  “No, you’ve already risked so much.” Ambriel dismissed her offer immediately, not wanting to put her at further risk.

  “Listen to me,” Keiana said forcefully, “I can do this. I just need to say the compulsion spell. I do it all the time with the one who brings my food. He’ll just hand it over.” Her eyes pleaded for Ambriel to let her help.

  Besides knocking one of those creatures… She looked at Keiana and Dartha and couldn’t call them creatures anymore. “Fine, but you need to be very careful.”

  “Every hunter is required to return the transport crystal to Ornias as soon as he returns. As soon as Keiana retrieves the crystal, we need to leave the castle immediately.”

  Looking to Dartha, Ambriel asked, “Any ideas how we do that?”

  She grinned and Ambriel took a quick step back. Would she ever get used to those wicked teeth? Unlike Keiana’s white ones, Dartha’s teeth were dark like the other Santiarns. “Please don’t do that,” she muttered. It didn’t help—Keiana and Dartha just smiled more.

  “I’ll bring you two cloaks and we’ll just walk out together.”

  Could it really be that easy? Not likely.

  Covered with hooded cloaks, no hair or skin visible, the three of them casually walked out of the castle carrying as many books and herbs as they could hide underneath the dark cloaks. Ambriel couldn’t believe they had actually pulled it off. Keiana’s compulsion spell worked, and the hunter just handed over his transport crystal. It was later in the day, as they had to wait for hunters to return from the Human realm. After they cleared the castle gates, Ambriel heard a loud blare sounding throughout the castle grounds.

  “We must hurry,” Dartha exclaimed, picking up her pace as they walked the desolate grounds.

  “What’s wrong?” Ambriel asked as she hurried her steps, keeping up with Dartha.

  “My guess? Ornias now knows that a transport crystal is missing.”

  Keiana offered another explanation. “The spell that made him forget you were there may have worn off.”

  “Either way, they are now after us.”

  “Yes,” both Dartha and Keiana answered in unison.

  As Ambriel hurried beside the other two, she got a good look at the Santiarn realm. The heat had sweat dripping from her nose as she surveyed the landscape. Large, menacing trees stood in the distance. Instead of leaves, each one sported long, thick thorns, daring someone to touch them. The ground was covered in brown vines that twisted and turned without rhyme or reason. Very easy to get your foot caught and tumble to the ground. No flowers in sight, no birds singing, but every now and then, Ambriel would see some kind of insect buzzing around her head. It was a little brighter than dusk, and she wondered if this was high day or almost nighttime. If waking up in Mikal’s strong arms everyday was her heaven, then this was definitely her hell. She shivered at the thought of living here.

  “Here we are.” Dartha interrupted her unwanted thoughts.

  She ushered Ambriel and Keiana toward a structure that was a little more than a shack. Small in size, no windows visible, it had a flat roof that was drooping on one side from years of use. The old door creaked as it opened, and a surprised voice called out. “Keiana, it that really you?” The woman rushed out and engulfed her friend in a motherly hug.

  “Layn?” Keiana asked, disbelief dripping form her shaky voice.

  The woman released Keiana from the hug, but stood holding one of her hands. “Yes, it’s me. My, you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.” The happiness on her face told Ambriel that this woman, Layn, never wanted to abandon Keiana. It also made her want to rip Ornias’ cold, dead heart from his chest. How could he be so cruel? How could anyone?

  “Let’s get inside—it’s not safe out here!” Dartha said, pushing Keiana and Layn inside.

  Ambriel followed them in, getting her first look around the worn house. It looked as old as the outside with its meager furnishings. The one-room structure had a rug covering the ground, making it easier to walk around. With no windows or air-conditioning, the temperature had to be at least 110 or more. No one else seemed to mind, and it made Ambriel wonder if they were used to it, or if their bodies needed the high temperature. Hmm…

  “What happened? Why did you leave me?” Keiana asked Layn with a quivering voice.

  “Oh, sweetie, it wasn’t by choice!” Her voice was filled with sadness. “Ornias thought you would be a great witch, but I was making you too soft. He threw me out and told me that if I returned, I would meet certain death. I had no doubt he’d do it, so I left. I knew Dartha; she was a friend of mine. I asked her to explain to you what happened and to keep an eye on you. When years passed, and she hadn’t seen you, I feared he’d killed you.”

  In a very human way, Keiana let tears fall down her cheeks. “He told me that I was an abomination, and you couldn’t stand to look at me anymore.” The timid little girl Ambriel had first met was who stood in front of them now. When tears filled Ambriel’s eyes, she had to look away.

  Layn grabbed Keiana and held her tight, letting Keiana cry on her shoulder. “I never thought that. You felt like my child, and if I could have taken you with me, I would have. I would have raised you as my own.”

  The two stood in a mother-and-child embrace, which had Ambriel looking away. Her heart ached as she remembered her own mother. She and Keiana had suffered greatly throughout their lives, and for what? A prophecy? She shook her head with agitation. Things had to change!

  Looking back at her friend, Ambriel asked, “Are you ready, Keiana?” She was ready to leave the dreadful place. As
much as she disliked most Santiarns, she did like these two females.

  “I’m scared,” Keiana admitted. Hmm…the spell must have worn off.

  “What are you planning to do?” This came from Layn, looking from Keiana to Ambriel. “You’re human!”

  “You just now noticed that?” Ambriel smiled, showing off her white, blunt teeth.

  “Yes, I was more interested in Keiana. Sorry.” She stood in front of Ambriel, taking in all of her features. Hair color, eyes, skin color. When she grabbed her hand, Ambriel flinched. “I won’t hurt you,” Layn said, looking at Ambriel’s fingernails. Her gaze flew to Keiana and then back to Ambriel. “Keiana is part human?” It sounded like a question, but it was more of a statement.

  Ambriel answered anyway. “Yes, she is.” Taking a chance, she elaborated. “Keiana is half-human and half-Santiarn, and I’m half-human and half-Cusas.” Layn dropped her hand and took a step back.

  “It’s okay,” Keiana interjected before standing next to Ambriel.

  “I always wondered about Keiana, why she looked so different. Never once did I consider she was part human.” Layn shook her head. “What is going on? Why are you here?”

  “Ornias wants access to the Cusasleon realm. He needs my blood to enter it. A prophecy foretold of a human ending the ongoing war. The Cusas thought that I would be that human, but now I think she is.” All eyes turned to Keiana.

  “What are you going to do?” Dartha asked both Ambriel and Keiana.

  Deciding to just tell the truth, Ambriel spoke to both females. “We are going to the Human realm, and Keiana is going to lock yours. The Santiarns will no longer be able to leave.” Watching the surprise on both of their faces she continued, “If either of you have family, you need to get them a message. Warn them not to visit the Human realm. If any Santiarns are there when we lock the realm, they will remain trapped where they are. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, this is wonderful news!” Dartha squealed and clapped her clawed hands. Curious, surprised eyes turned in her direction as she continued. “I told you about Zok, but what you don’t know is that I have three younger sons. Locking the realm may save their lives. Ornias won’t need so many hunters if they are trapped here.”